First-year guard Stink Robinson has become Butler’s starting point guard. Photo by Andrew Buckley.
SAWYER GOLDWEIN | SPORTS EDITOR | sgoldwein@butler.edu
The men’s basketball team returns home on Dec. 22 for a matinee clash with NJIT. It is Butler’s final non-conference game of the season.
Here is what you need to know before the Bulldogs take on the Highlanders:
Who: Butler vs. NJIT
When: Dec. 22, 2 p.m.
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse
How to watch: ESPN+
Health is wealth
Despite enjoying a relatively successful start to the season, some of the Dawgs’ wins have come at a cost. The bad news started on Dec. 14 when graduate guard Jalen Jackson announced that he would be taking a medical redshirt for the remainder of the year. Jackson reaggravated an ankle injury that he had been dealing with since summer workouts and opted for season-ending surgery
Then, during Butler’s win against Northwestern, redshirt-sophomore forward Jamie Kaiser Jr leaped for a rebound and landed on a teammate’s foot, rolling his ankle. Kaiser’s X-rays came back negative but he was spotted on crutches after exiting the game early. It remains to be seen if he will miss any time.
First-year forward Jack McCaffery has also been absent lately, missing the past three games with an illness.
The Bulldogs’ depth is being tested early in the season and is holding up so far, but a healthy roster will go a long way towards finding success against a Big East schedule.
Scouting the Highlanders
Butler and NJIT have matched up one time, a 20-point Bulldog win.
NJIT, picked to finish eighth out of nine in the America East preseason poll, has not found much success this season. The Highlanders are 4-8 and have lost seven of their last eight games. In two games against power conference teams NJIT has lost by an average of 42 points.
The Highlanders have just two double-digit per-game scorers, first year guard David Bolden and sophomore guard Ari Fulton. Offense is a struggle for the entire team, shooting just 37.3% from the field and 31.1% from long range.
While they do not shoot the ball efficiently from deep, three-pointers are a vital part of the Highlanders’ game plan. Forty-percent of their points come from beyond the arc, the 23rd-highest percentage in the nation. If Butler can prevent them from catching fire, a blowout win should be in order at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
